12 month multiple entry/exit Vietnam Visa?

worldtravelerforlife wrote:

Hi,

I CANNOT find any actual information on obtaining a 12 month multiple entry/exit visa to Vietnam.    I have not entered Vietnam yet.  As a USA passport holder I would like to enter/live in Vietnam, and every website I see are these ‘services’ saying you need a letter of approval to enter - that they would offer you but for a fee.  On other sites I read NOT to use these 3rd party sites for any type of letter, as they are fraudulent.  I am losing my mind trying to figure this out.  If anyone has ANY information on how I can obtain this I would greatly appreciate it.  Currently in Malaysia, so if you can lead me to the EXACT process with detailed accurate information I would appreciate it greatly!!!    Thanks

The info is already posted on this site.

Take your time doing a search and you will find it.

ExpatGrant wrote:

I forget the exact amount but something in the $200-$300 range................save your money.

I fail to see why $200-$300 is preferable to $135 unless there is some kind of insurmountable obstacle to going to the embassy.  "save your money" indeed.

Safepeter wrote:

WorldTraveleforLife,
Like everywhere in the world, there are those you will take your $'s and give you nothing but grief, and there are those who will help you.
You need to go through an agent to get you letter of approval which is basically your visa application. This is done online.
The agent processes this through to immigration who will approve you to enter or not. You pay the agent a fee for this service.
When you arrive at the VN airport you submit the letter, along with your passport to the immigration counter.
They check the letter that it has a valid government stamp etc. You pay another fee for this service.
You are then free to go through the arrival gates and get your passport stamped.
All too easy, as long as you don't mind the long lines.
I have used Vietnam-evisa.com for around 6 years to get the approval letter, then meet me at the airport where they submit the approval letter to the officials. Then it's on to the line up to get the passport stamped.
Vietnam-evisa.com have the application and information online that you need.

I received my letter of approval online,fee was $25 I beleive, printed it, filled in the application, no one met me at the airport.
In Hanoi, I presented the letter, and application, $25 fee and was on my way, 5 minutes max, no lines.
This was second time doing it this way.
May try Evisa next time.

Kunkenfudge wrote:

Does the letter have to be printed in color, or will black and white do?

Kunkenfudge... Black or White will do... Does not need to be in color.

ExpatGrant wrote:

I went to vietnamvisa.org. When you go through the steps, it provides the opportunity for a US citizen to obtain a 12 month multi-entry visa.  It worked very well for me.  One bit of advice, bring sufficient US dollars with you when you enter Vietnam for the stamping fee.  I forget the exact amount but something in the $200-$300 range.  I was entering Vietnam from another Asian country and it was not easy to find US dollars without being pillaged by currency exchange.

Good luck.  Just take your time going through the website.  It was straightforward.  No reason for private letter - save your money.

Your memory is definitely faulty, and very misleading.

The stamping fee at the airport is $135.00.

Confirmed by me personally on August 31st, 2019 when I received my new 1 year Category DN business visa (multiple  entries) at Hanoi Noi Bai Airport

THIGV wrote:

ExpatGrant wrote:

I forget the exact amount but something in the $200-$300 range................save your money.

I fail to see why $200-$300 is preferable to $135 unless there is some kind of insurmountable obstacle to going to the embassy.  "save your money" indeed.

His whole post is incoherent at best.

The $135.00 stamping fee for a 12 month visa is the same whether you go through an Embassy/Consulate or a Visa On Arrival (VOA) agent.

IF he is saying he read the instructions but didn't submit through the agent, that's one thing.

If he submitted through the agent and received his approval letter through them, then his reference to a "private letter" is maybe referring to the sponsors letter (xyz company) submitted by the agent to immigration in order to get his Visa on Arrival approval letter.

Usually, the customer never sees the private letter from the sponsor, unless they apply to purchase a sponsor letter apart from the VOA process.

However, we know how that can turn out.

Recall one of our members recently returned to the states, purchased an approval letter from a "sponsor", and then attempted to do the 12 month DN business visa application on his own.

When he arrived back in Vietnam, the Immigration officer at the entry point only approved him for a three month stay.

When he went back to the woman who sold him the sponsor letter, she wanted another $249~ dollars to fix the problem that would have cost him $190 if he had simply let a reputable VOA agent do the whole process, including having the "sponsor" issue a private sponsorship letter to go with the application the VOA agent submits to immigration.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

... that would have cost him $190 if he had simply let a reputable VOA agent do the whole process, including having the "sponsor" issue a private sponsorship letter to go with the application the VOA agent submits to immigration.

Still $190>$135 total at the embassy.  Like I said, if Kuala Lumpur is highly inconvenient then understood, but if you are already there, why pay extra for an agent.